Ensuring your emails actually reach your customers' inboxes is the backbone of successful digital marketing. For Australian small businesses, Google Postmaster Tools is an essential, free resource that provides a window into how Gmail—the world’s most popular email provider—views your sending domain.
If your emails are being flagged as spam or blocked entirely, your marketing ROI will plummet. This guide will show you exactly how to set up and use Postmaster Tools to monitor your reputation and fix deliverability issues before they impact your bottom line.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we begin, ensure you have the following ready:- A Google Account (workspace or personal).
- Access to your domain’s DNS settings (usually through your registrar like VentraIP, GoDaddy, or Cloudflare).
- An active email sending volume (Postmaster Tools usually only shows data if you send a few hundred emails per day).
- Your Australian Business Number (ABN) details (handy if you need to verify your domain ownership via certain registrars).
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Step 1: Sign in to Google Postmaster Tools
Head over to postmaster.google.com. Sign in using the Google account you want to use to monitor your domain. What you should see: A clean dashboard with a "+" button in the bottom right corner if you haven't added any domains yet.Step 2: Add Your Sending Domain
Click the red "+" button. A dialogue box will appear asking for your "Authentication domain." Enter the domain you use to send emails (e.g.,yourbusiness.com.au). Do not include 'https' or 'www'.
Step 3: Copy the Verification TXT Record
Google needs to verify that you actually own the domain. It will generate a unique TXT record (a string of text starting withgoogle-site-verification=...). Copy this code to your clipboard.
Step 4: Access Your DNS Settings
Log in to your domain registrar or hosting provider (e.g., NetRegistry, AU2Mator, or SiteGround). Look for the "DNS Management," "Zone Editor," or "Advanced DNS" section. Screenshot Description: You are looking for a table with columns labelled 'Type', 'Name/Host', and 'Value/Points To'.Step 5: Add the TXT Record
Create a new DNS record with the following details:- Type: TXT
- Host/Name: @ (or leave it blank, depending on your provider)
- Value: [Paste the code from Step 3]
- TTL: 3600 (or default)
Save the changes.
Tip: DNS changes can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 48 hours to propagate across the internet, though in Australia, it's usually quite fast.
Step 6: Verify the Domain in Google
Go back to the Postmaster Tools tab and click 'Verify'. If the DNS record has updated, the status will change to "Verified." If it fails, wait 30 minutes and try again.Step 7: Navigating the Dashboards
Once verified, click on your domain name to view the data. Note that if you are a low-volume sender, the charts may appear empty until you have sent enough emails to Gmail users. There are several key dashboards to monitor:1. Spam Rate Dashboard
This shows the percentage of your emails that users marked as spam.- Goal: Keep this below 0.1%. If it hits 0.3%, Gmail may start automatically routing your mail to the spam folder.
2. IP & Domain Reputation
This is Google’s "trust score" for you. It ranges from Bad to High. High reputation means your emails are unlikely to be filtered as spam.3. Feedback Loop (FBL)
If you have implemented the FBL headers, this shows you data on which specific campaigns are causing complaints.4. Authentication Dashboard
This tracks whether your emails are passing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks. For Australian businesses, ensuring these are 100% is critical for avoiding spoofing and phishing attempts using your brand name.Step 8: Monitor Delivery Errors
Check the "Delivery Errors" tab. This will show you if your emails are being rejected due to rate limiting (sending too many too fast) or because your IP is on a blocklist.---
Pro Tips for Australian Business Owners
- Consistency is Key: Google likes predictable sending patterns. Avoid suddenly sending 10,000 emails on a Tuesday if you usually send none. Ramp up your volume slowly.
- Clean Your List: Use a tool to scrub inactive Australian email addresses once every quarter. High bounce rates negatively impact your reputation.
- Check Your SPF: Ensure your SPF record includes all the services you use (e.g., Xero for invoicing, Mailchimp for marketing, and Outlook for daily use).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ignoring the Spam Rate: Many businesses don't check this until their sales drop. Make it a monthly habit.
- Sending from a No-Reply Address: This discourages engagement. Google tracks "replies" as a positive signal for deliverability.
- Incorrect DNS Syntax: A single missing character in your TXT record will cause verification to fail.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"No data to display" This is the most common issue. Google requires a certain volume of daily traffic (usually around 100-200 emails to Gmail users) to generate a report. If you are a very small business, you may only see data during weeks when you send a newsletter. "Verification Failed" Double-check that you added the TXT record to the correct domain. If your email ishello@marketing.yourbusiness.com.au, you may need to verify the subdomain specifically.
"Reputation is 'Bad'"
If your reputation is low, stop sending marketing emails immediately. Review your content for "spammy" keywords, ensure your "Unsubscribe" link is clearly visible (as required by the Australian Spam Act 2003), and verify that your DKIM signature is valid.
Next Steps
Monitoring your deliverability is just the first step. To truly optimise your email marketing, you should:- Audit your DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Review your email content for mobile responsiveness.
- Set up a regular schedule for list cleaning.
If you're finding the technical side of email deliverability a bit overwhelming, the team at Local Marketing Group is here to help. We can help you configure your technical setup to ensure your messages reach your customers' inboxes every time. Contact us today to chat about your email strategy.